David R. Bunch
David Roosevelt Bunch (August 7, 1925 - May 29, 2000) was an American poet and writer of short stories. He worked mainly in the genres of science fiction, satire, surrealism, and literary fiction. Life Overview Although prolific and critically acclaimed, Bunch remained obscure throughout his career. He is mainly known for a series of violent, bleak stories set in the cyborg dystopia of Moderan, which collectively form a satire on humanity’s obsession with violence and control. Youth and education Bunch was born on August 7, 1925 on a farm outside Lowry City, Missouri.Bunch, David R., The Heartacher and the Warehouseman, "About the Author". Anamnesis Press (2000). He graduated from Central Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science degree, then received an Master's degree in English from Washington University in St. Louis. He pursued a Ph.D in English Literature at Washington University and the State University of Iowa, but rather than completing his doctoral dissertation, he shifted to creative writing and studied for 2 years at the Iowa Writers' Workshop before dropping out. Career Bunch worked extensively on farms in the Midwest, taking low-level jobs in diverse industries. He later worked as a cartographer and map-chart editor for the Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis until he retired in 1973 to pursue full-time freelance writing. He died of a heart attack on May 29, 2000.Recent Obituaries of Science Fiction Writers: http://stason.org/TULARC/education-books/sci-fi-sf-written/21-Recent-Obituaries-SF-writers.html Bunch married Phyllis Geraldine Flette and they had two daughters, Phyllis Elaine and Velma Lorraine.Bunch, David R., dedication to "Bunch!". Broken Mirrors Press (1993). According to his long-time proponent Judith Merril, Bunch published over 200 stories and poems prior to his first professional sale, a short story called "Routine Emergency" in the December 1957 edition of If. He published at least 100 stories in science fiction magazines between 1957 and 1997, and nearly as many in literary magazines. No comprehensive David R. Bunch bibliography is known to exist; Bunch published almost exclusively in little magazines, digest-sized fiction magazines and fanzines, making a complete tally difficult (as the latter, particularly, are poorly indexed, and few indexes cover both the full range of little magazines and their more-commercial peers). Much of Bunch's small notoriety comes from his inclusion in Harlan Ellison's defining New Wave anthology Dangerous Visions. Of the 32 writers selected, Bunch was the only author to have 2 stories included: "Incident in Moderan" and "The Escaping." Although Dangerous Visions has been continually in print since 1967, no other Bunch material has seen print (including anthologies) since 1997. Writing The Moderan series Throughout his career, Bunch worked on a group of satirical far-future SF stories set in Moderan, a version of Earth paved over entirely with gray plastic and controlled by perpetually warring cyborg fortresses. Although the society of Moderan seems to project an appearance of personal valor and military perfection, its citizens are ultimately powerless, dominated by their own petty insecurities and hubris. 46 of the Moderan stories were collected in Moderan (1971), linked by a complex frame-story. The collection was never reprinted and has become a collector's item. Despite its relative rarity, it is cited as a major work of New Wave science fiction Unjustly Neglected: David R. Bunch: http://mumpsimus.blogspot.com/2004/02/unjustly-neglected-david-r-bunch.htmlBrooks Landon, "Science Fiction After 1900: From the Steam Man to the Stars". Routledge (1995).Aldiss, Brian, "Trillion Year Spree". House of Stratus, 2001. and it influenced cyberpunk. Bunch continued to write and publish Moderan stories throughout his career. He had longed to see a complete collection of the Moderan sequence published, but that has not taken place.Email correspondence with Bunch's daughter Phyllis. Recognition His 2nd collection of stories, Bunch!, was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award in 1993. Publications Poetry *''David R. "Moderan" Bunch Does Verse''. San Francisco, CA: Anamnesis Press, 1998. * The Heartacher and the Warehouseman. San Francisco, CA: Anamnesis Press, 2000. ISBN 0-9631203-7-9 Short fiction * Moderan. New York: Avon Books, 1971. * We Have a Nervous Job. Astoria, OR Alba Press, 1983. * Bunch!. Cambridge, MA: Broken Mirrors Press, 1993. ISBN 1-880910-00-4 Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.Bunch, David R., Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, August 21, 2012. SFE Ltd., Web, Mar. 14, 2013. See also * List of U.S. poets References External links ;Books * *David R. Bunch at Amazon.com ;About * David R. Bunch author page on Shelfari. * David R. Bunch in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. * David R. Bunch (1925-2000), Locus Magazine obituary * RIP David R. Bunch (1925-2000), SFWA obituary with An Appreciation by John Novak * "Unjustly Neglected: David R. Bunch" Category:1925 births Category:2000 deaths Category:American poets Category:American science fiction writers Category:Washington University in St. Louis alumni Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets